Lora's Fast Food

One of the biggest issues I've had to deal with is what to eat when I'm tired after work and I don't have time to really cook. My solution has been to really cook when I have the time. I usually prepare 2-6 servings at a time and then I either freeze them or store them in containers in the fridge so that all I have to do is take them out and zap them in the microwave. This is really the only kind of microwave cooking I do. It's fast and easy, and I don't end up slipping into the practice of getting fast food at the local drive through window.

One of my favorite dishes that I keep in the fridge is One-Pot Chicken and Rice. This recipe is new to the diet, but I've made it many times since I first attempted it during Christmas break. It's really filling and satisfying. Now the recipe calls for brown rice. Brown rice is healthier, but I find it gets too mushy. So, what I've done is mixed my brown rice with white rice. This way it isn't the same consistency as oatmeal, it's still healthy, and it tastes great. And you guessed it. It comes from the January/February 2010 issue of Everyday Food on page 112.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 large yellow onion cut into 8 wedges
2 celery stalks, cut into 1.5-inch pieces
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/5-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1 cup brown rice

Preparation
1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place, skin down, in pot. Cook until golden brown on both sides. 10 to 12 minutes total. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot; add onion and celery. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 20 minutes.

2. Add carrots, bay leaf, and 1.75 cups water; stir in rice and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until rice absorbs almost all the liquid, 40-45 minutes. Let stand, covered for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings at 372 calories per serving.